Thank you to NetGalley and Polis Books for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited for this book because of the idea of a strong female protagonist. Just the title alone promises that. I live the hotel setting and the haunted ambiance it gives off. Topdijian does a great job of pulling the reader along and making the reader not want to put the book down. As a reader, we can’t always ask for much more. There were a few spots in the dialogue that I felt were a bit slow and maybe even unpolished.

While I did enjoy the book, most of my issues arise in the editing and the overall unfinished feel to the romantic subplot. Despite a few dislikes, I would recommend this book for action lovers and as an easy, quick read.

I loved this story! Great writing style and story. Mave Michaels is a character you can’t help but to love.

Find your next favorite here!

This is yet another book that I did not realise was going to be part of a series until I saw it on Goodreads as I sat down to write this review.
Sometimes it is satisfying when a book provides exactly what it promised. I liked the book. My rating is a reflection on the similar type of books I pick up and where I would place this on the list.
I enjoyed my time with it, and my review is going to lay down exactly why I did.
Our leading lady is someone who is trying to carve out an image for herself, separate from that of her notorious father. She has learnt from him the tricks to stay alive, however. There is the aspect of magical realism I almost forgot to mention. Mave has a special ability, one that she does not flaunt to everyone but something that comes in handy.
She thinks she managing to survive until someone decides to use her as a fall guy for murder. In alternating chapters, we see letters between two women, one of whom was once living in the same Chateau. This lays the groundwork for all the things that are unfolding in the main storyline. We know a little more than our protagonist does for quite a while into the book.
The plot was like a movie. The final scenes made me think of so many older movies. Any more information would spoil it for anyone who plans to read it, so I will go no further.
I guessed the point where there was a slip-up by Mave, but given the pressure she was under, it was understandable. I would recommend this to people who like a bit of unexplainable phenomenon mixed in with their thriller.
I would definitely pick up another book by the author.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Is Mave for real? I tried but unfortunately the mayonnaise didn't quite make it to my plate...
I simply couldn't get into this novel.
I'll try to give it another chance over the summer.

𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.

A mysterious hotel, a crime to solve mixed with paranormal elements the result is A dark and atmospheric gothic mystery, fast paced and full of twists that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Agora Books for this gifted copy.

The Hitman’s Daughter by Carolyne Topdjian, Writer released February 22, 2022.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Wow! Wow! WOW! This is one hell of a debut!! Honestly, you had me at Gothic Thriller 🙌 Haunted library anybody?

First off, the writing is excellent! I was hardly even into the story and had a strong feeling this was going to be a great book. I'm so glad I was right! This was an easy 5 stars. The storyline is fast paced, and I found the majority of the twists very unpredictable, which I love! There's even a little bit of romance thrown in there ... can Holden be my book boyfriend? Hehe! And of course we have our leading lady, Mave Michael who I LOVED! She's the daughter of a notorious hitman serving multiple life sentences in prison...

I highly recommend The Hitman's Daughter if you're a fan of paranormal activity, murder mysteries, and family drama!

Carolyne Topdijan, I will read anything you write! I look forward to what's next from you.

Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours for having me along on this tour!!

Locked room mystery, anyone? This one hit the ground running and didn't stop. Very atmospheric with its haunted hotel setting. Perfect mix of paranormal and thriller. Told in present tense with a dual timeline via old letters. It kind of reminded me of the Saw movies! Not the blood and gore, but how everyone is connected in some way. Absolutely love this book!

“Though the hotel was constructed in 1921, the haunting didn’t occur until seventy years later.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 is gothic murder mystery set at the Château du Ciel, a rundown, creepy, and haunted hotel. It quickly pulls you in when the resident artist is found dead with all evidence pointing to one suspect. Mave may be the hitman’s daughter but she didn’t kill Birdie. With her father’s wisdom engrained in her, she needs to find out who did in order to clear herself.

Once I figured all the characters and their relationship to each other, it was a wild ride. This one is definitely a fast-paced read with non-stop action, plenty of secrets, paranormal activity, and oddly-enough an unexpected side of romance! A little bit for everyone.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours for including me on this tour and sending me an advanced digital copy.

A fast paced haunting novel…. The Château du Ciel was once the destination for the rich and famous to play, drink and ski—complete with a private railway to shuttle those desiring extra privacy—now, however, the guests are few and far between. The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to hoist the rundown hotel back to its former status, until a massive blizzard hits, trapping the guests who’ve come to celebrate the grand hotel’s last hurrah.

I loved the mix of genres in this debut. It had mystery, suspense, and paranormal elements. Mave was a likeable character and I like seeing that she had fears despite how she was raised. It made her more relatable. The action started right from the beginning and didn’t stop. I loved the pieces of the past being presented throughout. It kept me on my toes and I loved how everything came together in the end. Thank you @topdjianc and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

A hotel with an ominous, ghostly past.
A raging blizzard trapping guests in the hotel.
A murder.
A woman - Mave, the daughter of an infamous hitman with a unique gift to locate items, is now the prime suspect.
A man - Holden lives in the tunnels beneath the hotel and he may be Mave’s saving grace.

Did I grab your attention? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 is a unique murder mystery, with a paranormal twist. Although it’s set mainly in the present, with the exception of letters dating back to 1991, it has that classic gothic feel.

I’m glad I went into this one a little blind because it surprised me. I was expecting more of a mafia or a detective story but I received something entirely different - 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨, 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖!

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @topdjianc for a spot on tour and a gifted digital copy.

An unexpectedly fun, dark, and dangerous gothic adventure. A capable but emotionally fragile woman takes a job in a mysteriously haunted hotel. One day she finds the most mysterious tenant of all has been murdered and all hell breaks loose. There's masked men in the basement, a library ghost, secret tunnels and vaults, mysterious old letters and surprising family ties all wrapped up in a fun, unlike-anything-you've-read-before gothic adventure.

Absolutely Fabulous read! Loved the story line, the characters, and the flow of the book. Can not wait for more by author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this fantastic book.

The Hitman’s Daughter by Carolyne Topdjian

Intense twisted tale filled with secrets, lies and treachery…great story!

What I liked:
* The present-past in diary format of the story…not one I normally enjoy and It wasn’t easy till I got into the rhythm of it but…it really worked well in this book
* Mave: Young woman running from her past, daughter of a criminal, stumbles into more than she thought she would when she went to sit for a portrait on New Year’s Eve.
* Holden: Intriguing character that at first made me think of the Phantom of the Opera (underground lair) but later just intrigued me…he made an impression
* Cain: Mave’s father and the teachings he gave her that saw her through the book
* Finding out who the women in the diary were
* The paranormal aspect of “finding lost items” and ghostly sightings
* The way I was drawn into the story and cared about the outcome
* Wondering if this is a one and done or if there will be a sequel…wouldn’t mind hearing what happens next
* The setting…though in Colorado, I thought of the Hotel Coronado in Southern California as I was reading
* The red herrings…there were quite a few
* The surprises…
* finding out the motivation of the characters and what happened to them
* That the ghost played a big part in the story…and did get justice of sorts in the end
* All of it except…

What I didn’t like:
* The people and actions of those people that I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are people in the words who are just as cruel and crazy as some in this book
* Not really knowing what happened to one of the characters…and the character will appear in the future

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Polis-Agora Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This was a great and intriguing story. We are following a young woman desperate to live a life where her father can’t find her. When she gets a job at a hotel (that’s haunted) she is soon framed for murder and has no where to go. She needs to find out who framed her while also getting sucked into the past of the ghosts haunting this place. I enjoyed reading this story but was expecting it to be a standalone. It could’ve been but the ending leaves with a big cliffhanger so I’m assuming it’s the first in a series. One I’ll be looking forward to reading.

Mave Michaels, the hitmans daughter, is invited to work at the Chateau du Ciel. She runs the gift shop in the declining hotel. This year the chateau is hosting a New Year's Eve party to try to bring guests back to the hotel again. Mave has been invited by the resident artist, Birdie, to pose for her. She arrives to the 23rd floor and find the body of the artist and has seen someone in the room. Only she has been blamed for the murder since she was found in the room over the body and covered in blood.

While trying to avoid being caught, Mave runs through the hotel and ends up in the basement level where she has found the tracks from the days that trains brought people to the hotel. She also finds someone living down there. Is this who the hotel claims is the ghost that haunts the library?

I like how the book switches between now and 1991. It explains so much about why things are happening now.

This book has mystery, paranormal and light romance. I love it and I hope that the author continues this story.

This book was the best kind of mash up for me. It has an old hotel, a haunting, a locked room mystery, a masked man that lives in the tunnels under the hotel, and a protagonist who is a convicted hitman’s daughter.

The plot takes place in the present (2021) but also tells the story though letters written in 1991. The author does a wonderful job of connecting not only these two timelines but also having a complex cast of characters that intertwine in both timelines.

My favorite part about the book were the details in both plot and characterizations that made everything such an atmospheric read.

Mave is the main character. She seems pretty timid, but thanks to her Dad’s training she can take down and outsmart most folks. But Mave is trying to remain under the radar of her true identity by working in a gift shop in an old hotel in Colorado.

Mave is framed for a murder that happens while everyone is snowed in the hotel over New Years Eve. While trying to clear her name she meets a man, Holden, that lives in the tunnels underneath the hotel. She is not sure whether he is friend or foe in a place where everyone is ready to believe she is guilty.

While trying to clear her name, she finds some startling discoveries about the people in the hotel and how they are connected to her.

Let me also mention that there is a ghost that Mave can see who is connected to everything happening.

Mysteries, the paranormal, romance, secrets, and action. This book had me flipping pages from start to finish!

I think there may have been too many interesting concepts thrown into one book. On their own, they would make a great story, but I just couldn't wrap my head around how some of them would fit together. I love an awesome gothic haunted house and I love a good hitman story and I love a book that has a lot of twists, but these didn't seem to flow together for me. I just felt like I was pulled too many different directions.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Château du Ciel was once the destination for the rich and famous to play, drink and ski―now, however, the guests are few and far between. The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to bring the rundown and dated hotel back to its glory days until a massive blizzard hits, trapping the guests who’ve come to celebrate the hotel’s last hurrah. The circumstances might ideal if the hotel wasn't reputed to be haunted.
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When hotel employee Mave Michael finds the resident artist dead, the reputation that Mave has fought long and hard to outrun comes back to haunt her. Her father is a notorious hitman who is serving multiple life sentences in prison. She’s the perfect choice to frame for murder, and now the number one suspect. Mave can no longer deny the lessons in survival her father taught her, and calls on that and her uncanny sixth sense in “finding” lost objects to navigate the maze of the hotel. To save herself, she not only has to stop running from her own past, but she must also unearth the history of the hotel and the secrets of it guests.
⠀
This is a fast-paced thriller that will have your eyes open wide as you flip the pages to see what happens next.

The Hitman’s Daughter is a gothic thriller, and true to its genre, very atmospheric–with many twists and turns.

The tale is set in the languishing Château du Ciel, an erstwhile watering hole for the rich and famous, amid a snowstorm. A murder occurs, and everyone’s a suspect, but none more so than the protagonist, who has been trying to escape her legacy as a hitman’s daughter, and the inexplicable ability to find lost objects. Mave Michael is a smart, sympathetic, ninja heroine who uses all her faculties, from this world and another, in order to solve the mystery, ferret out various unsavory secrets, and clear her name in the process.

This is a great escape read, and I enjoyed it immensely. I expected to read it a few pages at a time, but gobbled it up in two sittings!

I’m looking forward to Topdjian next, and hope it will be here soon.